Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34469, where the four portraits referred to in that Answer are located; and what proportion of all paintings and portraits in the Palace of Westminster those portraits represent.

Tom Brake

The four portraits are located in the following locations:

• The portraits of Diane Abbott and Paul Boateng hang in Portcullis House.
• The portrait of Dr Dadabhoy Naoroji is displayed in the corridor leading to the House of Commons Strangers Gallery.
• The portrait of Baroness Amos hangs in the corridor off Princes Chamber in the House of Lords.

There are approximately 310 painted portraits in the Parliamentary Art Collection.

The majority of the painted portraits in the Parliamentary Art Collection are historical ones depicting members of the Royal Family and Parliamentarians pre-1900, of whom few were of black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) origin.

The Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art is committed to reflecting the diversity of the House today, and to recognising those who have influenced Parliament and contributed to its development in a notable way through the Parliamentary Art Collection. The Committee has agreed to give further consideration to the matter in the current Parliament.